Any Other Name

Review: Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County in Wyoming, is asked by Lucian Connally, his former boss, to join him in an off-the-books, out-of jurisdiction investigation. Connally's good friend Stanley Holman, a semi-retired cold case investigator for the Campbell County Sheriff's office, is dead, officially ruled a suicide. But Connally has his doubts and needs Longmire's help, in Any Other Name, the tenth mystery in this series by Craig Johnson.

Holman had been shot twice, once through the jaw (which apparently didn't kill him), and again through the mouth (which did). Suspicious, maybe; conclusive, probably not. Longmire starts by looking at Holman's most recent case, the disappearance of a young woman. It turns out that there were two other instances of young women disappearing within a 12 mile radius. It seems unlikely they are connected, but still, Longmire has to look into them. Enlisting the help of his undersheriff Vic Moretti and his best friend Henry Standing Bear, the team set off in different directions. The area is remote without paved roads and it is December, the ground heavy with snow. But as Connally says of his friend, "Walt is like a gun; once you point it and pull the trigger; it is too late for you to change your mind." He doesn't have the luxury of time, however; Longmire has promised to be with his daughter in Philadelphia when she bears him his first grandchild … and that date is rapidly approaching.

Any Other Name is a gripping, suspenseful novel. The Wyoming wilderness presents its own challenges for Longmire, and their description adds color and depth to the story. There are some lighter moments, such as when Longmire is confronted with a buffalo or when he tries to convince his daughter Cady that he will be there, no matter what, but for the most part, this is a tightly constructed crime novel. Current fans of the series will be pleased with this latest outing, and new ones will be starting at the beginning to see how this terrific character came to be where he is today.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Any Other Name.

Acknowledgment: Penguin Group provided a copy of Any Other Name for this review.